Korg Kronos 3 88-key Music Workstation

Road-ready, with your choice of keybeds

To suit a range of keyboardist preferences, Korg offers Kronos 3 with your choice of three keybeds. The 88- and 73-key models are fitted with Korg’s flagship Japan-crafted RH3 (Real Weighted Hammer Action 3) keybed, whereas the 61-key model features Korg’s smooth Natural Touch semi-weighted action with aftertouch. Whichever you select, you can be assured of flawless playability. While the classic features of Kronos carry forward, this next-generation design incorporates subtle yet striking updates. Its powder coated metal chassis boasts tour-tough durability and an upscale tactile feel, while the elegant black wooden end panels add a sophisticated touch. These enhancements ensure Kronos not only performs like a champ but also commands instant attention from your audience.

Redefining the music workstation — again

Kronos set the standard for modern technology-laden keyboard workstations, and each successive generation has upped the ante in this regard. Like its forbears, Kronos 3 packs the awesome power of nine separate sound engines — each driven by a distinct synthesis type — to serve up a staggering range of sounds spanning virtually all instrument categories, from vintage to modern. But the latest developments in the technology underpinning each of these synthesis types allow Kronos 3 to deliver its immense soundset with a sonic verisimilitude and sophistication heretofore unheard.

Nine sound engines, infinite possibilities

From acoustic instruments to gritty analog synths, the nine synthesis engines powering Kronos 3 can provide every sound you need. Simply put, if you took any of these individual synth engines and loaded them into an independent keyboard, you'd have a perfectly legitimate instrument most professional performers would be happy to play. All put together, however, this multifaceted synthesis environment lets you access thousands of sounds and layer them into rich and engaging music beds. This allows for deep and complex sounds and full instrumental arrangements, all without the need to switch presets or pre-recorded backing tracks. Check out these spectacular synthesis engines!

SGX-2 premium piano sound engine

SGX-2 Premium Piano sound engine captures every nuance of real German and Japanese grand pianos. Even the most discerning pianist can appreciate the level of detail Korg put into these pianos, which include breathtaking string resonance modeling that responds flawlessly to the way you use the damper pedal and provides true sympathetic harmonics. Another astonishing thing about the SGX-2 engine is its una corda soft pedal response. Literally meaning “one string,” the soft pedal on Kronos lets you completely shift the piano action to access a whole additional range of timbres you rarely find on even dedicated digital pianos.

EP-1 MDS electric piano sound engine

Love the sound of classic electric pianos? Whether you're looking for the bark and bell-like sound of steel reeds and electrostatic pickups or the hard and percussive sounds of hammers on tines, Korg's EP-1 captures every vintage EP sound you crave. The key to this astonishing realism is Korg’s proprietary Multi-dimensional Synthesis (MDS) technology, which eliminates the unnatural sound of looped samples to provide seamlessly smooth dynamics that respond naturally to your touch. In addition to six distinct electronic piano models, the EP-1 engine includes a collection of amp, cabinet, speaker, and effects models you can use to completely define your sound.

CX-3 tonewheel organ sound engine

Of course, you can't have amazing electronic pianos and forget to include a collection of classic organs. That's why Korg had to include their CX-3 tonewheel organ sound engine. If you're already familiar with Korg's popular digital organs, then you won't be surprised to hear this sound engine in action ... or maybe you will be, since it comes coupled with all of the advanced processing Kronos has to offer. To quickly craft iconic tonewheel sound, pull out all the stops (or just some of them to taste) using the nine top-panel sliders, add vacuum-tube-amp warmth, toss in some essential vintage effects, and top it off with must-have rotary speaker modeling, and you're off to a good start. And that's not taking into account the interactive percussion, instability, fold-back, leakage, and minutia modeled in obsessive detail that delivers a level of realism that's simply jaw-dropping.

HD-1 high-definition synthesizer PCM sound engine

Few companies have produced PCM-based synthesis engines for nearly as long as Korg, which is why it's no surprise that their HD-1 PCM-based synthesizer engine is such an astonishingly powerful sound generator. The natural successor in a lineage going back to the original M1, this sound engine includes a legacy of popular Korg instruments, including many programs left out of previous keyboards due to memory constraints that are no longer an issue. At the same time, this collection of sounds isn't just a history lesson in Korg classics; it benefits from modern technologies such as low-aliasing sample playback oscillators, high-res filters, and many other synthesis components that will redefine the way you think about traditional digital synthesis.

MS-20EX analog modeling sound engine

It hardly gets more classic than the Korg MS-20 analog synthesizer, so when we first heard the MS-20EX analog modeling sound engine in the original Kronos, the synth nuts here at Sweetwater were gobsmacked. Korg has since gone on to re-create the MS-20 in multiple other guises, including an iOS version. In Kronos 3, the impressive power of Korg's Component Modeling Technology (CMT) delivers a level of detail that reproduces this favorite mini modular synth more faithfully than ever. What's more, there are no limits to this sound engine, which allows you to go so far as to use external audio as the oscillator source, if you want. There are gazillions of creative ways to put the MS-20EX engine to work in your music!

AL-1 analog synthesizer modeling sound engine

When Korg goes big, they go WAY big, like when they introduced the OASYS (Open Architecture Synthesis Studio) in 2005. Considered by many to be the Korg's concept car, the OASYS introduced many new technologies that were way ahead of their time — so far ahead, in fact, that they're still being explored and developed two decades later! One of the sound engines introduced by this beast and leveraged to the max by Kronos 3 is AL-1, a high-fidelity analog-modeling synth that harnesses modern computer processing to combine complex waveforms, routing, and modulation, with filter morphing and creamy-smooth oscillator performance to let you build deliciously analog-sounding programs that go leaps and bounds beyond the capabilities of real analog circuitry.

MOD-7 waveshaping VPM/FM synthesis sound engine

Variable Phase Modulation (VPM) hit the keyboard world in 1995 with the introduction of Korg's Prophecy and gained even more popularity when their Z1 followed a couple of years later. This fusion of PCM cross modulation, semi-modular subtractive synthesis, and extensive waveshaping all comes together in the MOD-7 sound engine, which uses the Kronos's powerful graphic interface and hands-on controls to make constructing patches easy. Whether you're after the ping and chime of classic FM electric piano sounds or want to create your own energizing soundscapes or rhythmic pads, there's a ton of sonic real estate to explore in the MOD-7.

STR-1 strings physical model sound engine

These aren't your typical synth strings. Rather than using old-school synthesis, the STR-1 plucked strings sound engine employs physical modeling — a high-tech form of sound generation that calculates the specific behavior of strings in motion to generate realistic guitar, harp, harpsichord, and ethnic stringed instruments in ways PCM/sample-based synths can't quite manage. What's more, this sound engine lets you dig in deep to create unique sounds entirely of your own. It's the perfect tool for anyone who loves getting tweaky and diving into sound design.

The most expressive sounds you'll play

How much time do you enjoy putting into getting great sounds from your keyboard that fit your playing style? If you're like most of us, then the answer is none. That's why keyboardists and composers here at Sweetwater love Kronos. This fantastic keyboard workstation features sounds that respond naturally not only to playing dynamics, but to many other factors as well. From the first time you fire it up, sit down, and play, you'll be in love with this system. All of this is only possible thanks to powerful synthesis technologies, many of which were developed specifically for Kronos. One of these is Korg's Virtual Memory Technology, a flexible system that provides you with high polyphony as well as incredible un-looped samples. It also allows Kronos to perform smooth sound transitions, so you can hold sustained notes while switching sounds or modes — just what you need for seamless transitions from one passage to the next.

Full music production studio onboard

More than just a superb performance keyboard, the Korg Kronos is a complete 32-track music creation workstation. In addition to a robust 16-track sequencer, Korg gave Kronos the capacity to record up to 16 audio tracks as well. That means you get a complete multitrack recording system right inside your workstation! Want to spice up your tracks? No problem! Your Kronos comes with entire racks packed with premium studio-grade effects, each of which more than rivals dedicated standalone effects units. Since you can run multiple effects at once, it's easy to finesse entire arrangements into finished masterpieces. And thanks to the Kronos's Open Sampling System, you can even sample and resample any sounds you create. Talk about a great way to come up with amazing and unique new sounds!

Get your hands on your sounds

Long known for their easy-to-use workstation environments, Korg raised the bar again by loading Kronos with abundant hands-on controls. Starting with the large 8-inch color TouchView display, you'll find navigating through the Kronos environment to be refreshingly simple. Each contextual menu puts all of the most important controls at your fingertips, so you never have to dive in deep to get the results you want. A complete set of sliders, knobs, and buttons lets you adjust a wide range of parameters on the fly. Whether you're tweaking tones or mixing a complete song, you're sure to appreciate these extensive controls. On that note, there's a touch-activated ribbon and Korg's fantastic vector joystick onboard, providing you with a massive amount of expression. What's more, your Kronos includes Korg's next-gen KARMA technology, so you don't even need to touch any controls to get realistic real-time accompaniments that let you focus on your own performance.

The definitive instrument for musical expression

Whether you’re a professional keyboardist or aspire to be one, Kronos 3 is the definitive instrument for ultimate musical expression, both onstage and in the studio. With its intuitive, hands-on control set and instant access to over 300 premium sound libraries, plus a suite of exclusive features, Kronos 3 completely redefines the concept of the keyboard workstation — an instrument category Korg created nearly four decades ago with the legendary M1 in 1988. Since then, evolving through updates and new innovative models, Korg workstations have been fixtures in world-class studios and are heard on countless iconic recordings. Revered as the gold standard by professional keyboards and aspiring amateurs alike, Kronos has consistently set standards for sound quality, versatility, and sheer power.

Korg Kronos 3 Features:

• Cutting-edge, high-performance keyboard music workstation
• Thousands of sounds and effects and extensive hands-on controls
• Everything you need to create, arrange, and perform original music
• Available with 88- and 73-key RH3 weighted hammer action or 61-key semi-weighted action with aftertouch
• 8-in. color TouchView display, 4-way joystick, and ribbon controller
• Preset PCM: 314MB (ROM 1,505 multi-samples, 1,388 drum samples)
• 26 built-in Expansion PCM libraries
• PCM RAM capacity: approximately 3GB
• Wave sequences: 598 user memory, 207 preload
• Support for stereo multi-samples, synchronization of individual notes, and tempo-based settings.
• 9 sound engines, each driven by a distinct synthesis type:
• SGX-2: Premium Piano (Acoustic Piano, max. polyphony 100 voices)
• EP-1: MDS Electric Piano (Electric Piano, max. polyphony 104 voices)
• HD-1: High Definition Synthesizer (PCM, max. polyphony 140 voices)
• AL-1: Analog Synthesizer (Analog Modeling, max. polyphony 80 voices)
• CX-3: Tonewheel Organ (Tonewheel Organ Modeling, max. polyphony 200 voices)
• STR-1: Plucked Strings (Physical Modeling, max. polyphony 40 voices)
• MOD-7: Waveshaping VPM Synthesizer (VPM Synthesis, max. polyphony 52 voices)
• MS-20EX: Component Modeling Technology (Analog Modeling, max. polyphony 40 voices)
• PolysixEX: Component Modeling Technology (CMT Analog Modeling, max. polyphony 180 voices)
• Attractive, durable powder coated metal chassis stands up to tough touring schedules
• Comprehensive connectivity, including USB/MIDI ports for computers and class-compliant controllers